Proposal for Providence “Garbage Depot” Withdrawn

Community opposition dooms waste facility

Mar 12, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock

March 12, 2020 (PROVIDENCE, RI) – Conservation Law Foundation and Washington Park Association released the following statements today as plans for a waste-processing facility on Allens Avenue in Providence were withdrawn.

“The decision to scrap plans for this garbage depot is an unqualified win for the neighborhood,” said Kevin Budris, staff attorney at CLF Rhode Island. “The community was loud and clear in opposing the toxic exhaust and dust this dirty facility would produce. We need to put our efforts into reducing waste, rather than forcing our communities to deal with pollution from trash that they did not create.”

The proposed “garbage depot” would have processed up to 2,500 tons of trash every day, mostly from outside of Rhode Island. The facility would have contributed even more pollution to an area that already suffers high asthma rates and other health problems.

“This is a win for our community,” said Linda Perri of the Washington Park Association. “No longer are we to be looked at as a dumping ground. We, the southeast part of Providence and Washington Park, are a valued resource with unlimited possibilities. I would like to thank everyone who stood with us and helped bring this bad development project to its rightful end.”